Ready or Not 2: Here I Come has hit theaters, but how does the film match up to its predecessor? Starting from just a basic number perspective, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes scores interestingly oppose one another. While the critic score sits at a 75% and the audience score a 90% for this film, the first film holds an 89% score with critics and a 78% score with audiences.
The major element that remains unchanged is the hard-nosed nature of Samara Weaving in the role of Grace. She is a survivor at heart, unafraid to go face to face with those who stand between her and escape, and in this case saving her sister. The grittiness and toughness she brings to the role, whilst maintaining the ability to play up comedic elements when necessary remained fantastic. Bringing her sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) into this film was the obvious major change that overall feels successful. The actresses clearly have strong chemistry and giving Grace someone to lean on, despite the rift between the two, does aid in setting this film apart from the original.
The glaring issue where I had trouble getting fully on board with the sequel is in its supporting cast. Ready or Not is a more intimate film, resulting in the characters feeling more tightly connected, providing more intrigue as a result. Even though it’s not as if the supporting roles were given more screen time, it felt as if each character was given an opportunity to have a larger impact, identity, and purpose. Standouts from the first film; outside of Weaving, include Daniel Le Domas (Adam Brody) as a true wildcard with clear trauma he’s battling, Emilie Le Domas (Melanie Scrofano) as the oddly lovable screwup while still being a terrible person, and Tony Le Domas (Henry Czerny) as the head of the family who manages to have killer cold and comedic moments.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’s strongest supporting role is Shawn Hatosy as Titus Danforth. For the entirety of the film he is presented as a calculated and dangerous figure, but at a certain point he becomes a shockingly brutal villain, another element that is unique to this film. While Hatosy is fantastic and it shouldn’t be understated how well he pulls off this menacing role, it got to a point where I felt the tone of the film became a caricature of its predecessor. The campy nature clashes in a serious way with the darker tone Danforth brings to this story, derailing the plot and straying too far away from the sleeker and smoother nature of the first installment’s plot.
The rest of the supporting cast is introduced family by family in quick succession, a choice that didn’t resonate as strong enough to make them anything other than forgettable as the film went on. There are strokes of the same ideals as the first installment in an effort to give each family and character a sense of identity, but the introduction and subsequent setup exudes real convolution in its execution. While nobody is necessarily doing a bad job here, the screenplay focusing heavily on Weaving, Newton, and Hatosy doesn’t leave much room for any other players in comparison with the first film, which is significantly more balanced, with everything feeling as if it has more room to breathe.
For those searching for the gore and action of the first film, you won’t be disappointed. Ready or Not 2 Here I Come is able to utilize plenty of resort and locale set pieces in unique and interesting ways that ends up being a plus for the film, despite the classic mansion location of its predecessor feeling so iconic to the nature of the series. From a casino, to a wedding venue, to a laundry room, it cannot be denied that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett did not lose their touch when it comes to breathing fresh life into the genre.
While Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a worthy enough follow up to the modern cult classic Ready or Not has become, it’s hard to deny that the film doesn’t take a step back in certain areas. The horror comedy elements still show plenty of respect to its roots, but the convoluted plot, themes, and over the top nature reach a point where it just becomes too much. Rather than building from the emotional subtleties and nuances present in the performances and story of the first film, this film takes a stab at jumping more over the top and the end result reveals a film that becomes a tad too campy, convoluted, and messy. Regardless of this, I’d argue that if you enjoyed Samara Weaving’s brilliant performance in the first film, you will still find plenty to enjoy with her second go around as Grace in a fight for her life. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come does not live up to the original Ready or Not, but it still provides a film that is definitely a worthwhile watch on the big screen if possible.
Drumroll please…. and the verdict is-
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Rating: 3 out of 5
Vs.
Leave a Comment